When will we stab back at the Empire: meanwhile MTA fares go up.

The MTA fares are going up, again.

Regardless of where you stand, here is the most relevant factoid about the MTA and fare increases. Not one elected official is directly responsible for fares going up or staying put. The MTA is run by a 17 member board selected by politicians but ultimately self governing. The MTA was designed that way so that no politican would be held responsible for the inevitably unpopular fare increases.

So when we the people who pay for these services feel there is injustice in the service we get , the way money is managed and the price we pay, we have no direct person to hold accountable.

If you're pissed off about this, please share this information. Maybe one day we'll all get it together and make the MTA answerable to the Mayor or the Govenor (jeez can you imagine) somebody who could be made to run the MTA better.

(services are being cut btw, click here to see how it affects you)

Get your scream on: Public Fare Increase Hearings Jan '09

"So, is the train coming or has it already left the station?"

Hey I'm trying to keep it optimistic as we slowly turn over into this new year. Matter o' fact I plan to prosper in '09 despite all the forecasts and real tight times ahead. But it's hard brother, hard to keep the glass half full when MTA keeps pouring money down the drain and asking me and you for a refill.

The basics of the next year's proposed transit fare increase are these:

Option #1 raise the cost for single rides and cash fares to $3.00 a 50% increase while raising Metrocard fares by about 25%. (I'm sure this is intended to fail)

Option #2 raise all fares to $2.50. If option 2 sounds better it's not in my opinion, it's really a more complete slap to everyone's faces because it removes pricing discounts that are built into (what are now discounted) Metrocard purchases.

I found specifics of the plan on NY1's site.

The public hearings will be held around the city.
The Brooklyn edition of which will be held
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at:
NY Marriott at the B'klyn Bridge
333 Adams St, Brooklyn

Bring a loud friend.


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It reminds me of an old joke that my family told to much laughter one holiday season long ago. It's war time, and the men are dug in on the front lines in the cold and snow without supplies for weeks. It's wet, there's not shelter and no facilities. One day the Sargent passes the word of good news about supplies. All the men get excited one thing they all can use more than anything is new gear, especially clothing.

The Sargent gathers the men in the largest foxhole and announces,"there's a little good news! you'll all be switching to new underwear!" The men let out a joyous cheer! The Sargent continues saying,"that's right! so all of you take off your drawers and switch with the guy next to you!"

That's how I feel, but I'm staying positive.

Keep that in mind in '09, somebody's gotta get lucky right?

Local MSM KaBlew It (or) If something blows up in B'Klyn and it isn't reported does it make difference?

How appropriate that NYC's shortest days of the calendar year have resembled high noon at the Arctic Circle. Not even the brightness found in the eyes of Veep-to-be Biden's new puppy could have cleared up the overcast skies that keep many non-breeders like me'sef in doors for the last 24hrs.

Was I alone the only citizen in early hiber-nation? Perhaps not. Maybe that's why all of a sudden something can blow up in NYC limits and (almost) nobody seems to care (almost).

Maybe the local MSM was still marveling at the fact that Caroline Kennedy, who has a history of not answering reporters' questions, doesn't actually give very deep answers when she does (gasp!) Maybe that's why they didn't report that a Brooklyn street corner basically exploded. Fortunately Robin Lester's Clinton Hill Blog and readers did.

Last night (after I finally stopped playing FB Dominos and went out) I snapped this pics of the aftermath on Washington and Lafayette Avenues:



Most of those slabs of concrete were scattered like puzzle pieces. Imagine the force
it takes to do that and what it would mean to be standing there when it happened.

It looks like the aftermath of a Max Sennett scene that would have ended up with
Buster Keaton reaching escape velocity in route to the Moon.

Well it's no ponzi scheme, but unlike ponzi this is very relevant to me as I frequently walk on sidewalks and don't wish to be blown up like an Iraqi translator.

Seriously folks, I know it was late at night and my pics are not suck free (did I mention FB Dominoes are really addictive as well as time consuming?) but if anyone was standing on that corner, when that explosion came through with enough force to toss sidewalk slabs like lunch trays. It would've been the kind of sad tragedy we all hate to hear about.

To help you get a sense of where this intersection lays, check these pictures I took on the same corner during the Marathon (in Nov). In both pics I stood basically where the explosion happened.

The first is looking north on Washington Av:

The second is looking west on Lafayette Av.

This is a well traveled street with a subway station, bus stop nearby and a popular and frequently used neighborhood playground at the corner as well.

The explosion seems to have been caused by Con Ed equipment going supernova just feet below our feet. Hmm Con Ed equipment exploding, how bad can that be? Oh. Oh. Oh. Ohh yeah.. Well.. it's not like the winter weather increases the risk of malfunctions right? ohh. Oh.Eww and as we all know we can't count on Con Ed to be forthright in these accidents.

The Clinton Hill blog (at the time of this posting) is the only place I've found any reporting on it all, I frequent that area and was on my cell when the big boom bang happened, several commenters on the Clinton Hill blog reported hearing it as well. Based on comments the explosion was audible in a radius throughout Clinton Hill and parts of Fort Greene. (on the gmap below people who heard it are marked by the red icon) which I made for your viewing pleasure and because I have cabin fever. (Holy Jeebus when will the sun god return) If not for CHB's reporting we'd all still be wondering what happened or worse not knowing at all.

Bottom line we know NYC is excitingly random enough, we don't need to add "Sudden Explosive Death" to the list of unexpected slices of Big Apple life. Much as I hate the soap boxy but we can't accept this, we all pay for this service let's spread the story voice our frustration and work at getting this fixed. nuff SED.


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